Free Please Don't Leave Me Here by Tania Chandler Page A

morning?’
    â€˜Morning?’
    â€˜Night.’
    â€˜Not really.’
    â€˜Have you remembered something?’
    She fiddles with the corner of the pillow case. ‘No.’
    â€˜Brig, there’s something I have to tell you about my father.’
    â€˜Doug?’
    â€˜No, my real father.’
    She should be a good partner and listen, but she’s drained. ‘Can it wait till tomorrow?’
    They lie awake for a long time without speaking.
    â€˜Sam, I want to have another baby,’ she whispers. The twins brought them closer together. New life makes everything better.
    Next door’s air conditioner whirs, a dog barks, and street-light creeps under the blind.
    â€˜Let’s talk about that tomorrow, too.’
    ***
    The smell of rain fills her nose before she opens her eyes. Thunder growls, and lightning illuminates the room. She reaches out for Sam. He’s gone. It’s dark, but the clock radio glows 10.05 a.m. Shit — how could she have slept so late? She reaches for her slippers under the bed, pulls on one of Sam’s T-shirts, and stumbles down the hallway, rubbing her eyes. The twins are still in their pyjamas, watching TV and licking icy poles. She’s about to yell, but instead kneels and wraps her arms around them.
    â€˜We was hungry. Daddy went to work and you was sleeping,’ Phoebe says.
    â€˜It’s OK.’ She hugs them tighter. Another crack of thunder, closer.
    â€˜Is somebody shooting?’ Finn says.
    â€˜No, silly, it’s just a storm. Come and I’ll make you some proper breakfast.’
    There are three text messages from Sam on her phone:
    Morning Ralph. Sorted things with Serra.
    Been thinking about what u said last night. Think I want it 2. Talk when I get home.
    Also been thinking about teaching course again.
    She texts back: Morning Sam. I luv u. He doesn’t reply.
    The twins have left a chair up against the fridge, with the freezer door open; food is defrosting, melting down the front. Brigitte cleans up the mess, and makes toast and coffee.
    The kinder session is nearly over by the time they get there. She goes home and tries to clean the house in the 45 minutes left before pick-up time.
    She starts dusting the blinds, stops, goes into the study, and does what she has always avoided doing — what she was lying awake thinking about all night: she googles Eric Tucker. Click.
    COLD-CASE DETECTIVES INVESTIGATE UNSOLVED MURDER OF CONCERT PROMOTER, ERIC TUCKER (2008)
    VICTORIAN COLD-CASE DETECTIVES TO RE-OPEN 1994 INVESTIGATION OF SLAIN CONCERT PROMOTER, ERIC TUCKER (2008)
    TUCKER CASE REMAINS UNSOLVED (1997)
    DETECTIVE SAM CAMPBELL CLEARED OF EVIDENCE-TAMPERING ALLEGATION (1995)
    POLICE LOST EVIDENCE IN TUCKER CASE (1995)
    POLICE SEEK YOUNG WOMAN SEEN LEAVING TUCKER APARTMENT (1994)
    CONCERT PROMOTER FOUND DEAD (1994)
    She glances over her shoulder, scrolls up to the first search result, and reads the article:
    Victorian detectives have reopened the cold case of Eric Tucker, who was bludgeoned to death in 1994.
    The body of Eric Tucker, 45, was discovered in his luxury Carlton apartment by the now deceased caretaker, Sean McMahon, on 23 December 1994.
    In the coroner’s inquest report, Dr Simon Marks, forensic pathologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, attributed Mr Tucker’s cause of death to head injury from multiple blows inflicted by a person or persons with a heavy, blunt object.
    Despite an exhaustive investigation by detectives, no arrest was ever made over the incident.
    Detective Sergeant Aidan Serra confirmed they have recommenced inquiries into the violent assault, and are appealing for public assistance.
    Cold-case investigations can be extremely challenging, but in this case they did have a person of interest.
    â€˜There was physical evidence that linked this person to Mr Tucker,’ said Detective Serra. ‘Unfortunately, most of the evidence from the original investigation